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Data on Alexion Pharmaceuticals' Soliris to be presented at the ASH meeting

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that researchers are scheduled to present data relating to Soliris® (eculizumab) as a treatment for patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) during the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), to be held December 5 – 8, 2009 at the Ernst N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

11 Nov 2009

Common myths about sun exposure, sunscreen and vitamin D

When it comes to vitamin D, consumers are bombarded with mixed messages about the best source for this essential nutrient. While some may argue that small doses of intentional sun exposure are safe, dermatologists point out that the risk of developing skin cancer from ultraviolet (UV) radiation far outweighs the benefit of stimulating vitamin D production - particularly when enriched foods and supplements are safe and effective sources of this vitamin.

11 Nov 2009

HFSP grant to develop molecular probes to study "cellular GPS" system

An international group of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, Goettingen Medical School in Germany and the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom have received a Human Frontiers Science Program (HFSP) grant to develop molecular probes that will help researchers better understand the "cellular GPS" system that guides neurons to create a properly wired nervous system.

11 Nov 2009

Anemia-reducing medications linked to deep vein thrombosis in cancer patients

Medications frequently given to cancer patients to reduce their risk of anemia are associated with an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, according to new research led by Dawn Hershman, M.D, M.S., co-director of the breast cancer program at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. The findings will be published online on Nov. 10, 2009 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (ahead of the Dec. 2, 2009 print edition).

11 Nov 2009

New cookbook from NHLBI

The health of your heart has a lot to do with the foods you eat. To help busy people and families shop for, prepare, and serve healthy meals, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health created and published Keep the Beat Recipes: Deliciously Healthy Dinners. The new cookbook features 75 simple and delicious recipes influenced by Asian, Latino, Mediterranean, and American cuisine that are good for your heart and taste great too.

11 Nov 2009

Occupational contact dermatitis and asthma are most common work-related health issues, says new research

Occupational contact dermatitis and asthma are two of the most common work-related health issues facing workers worldwide, according to experts presenting the latest research at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Miami Beach, Fla.

11 Nov 2009

New educational program for caregivers of patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome

Eisai Inc. introduced a new educational program today to help parents and caregivers of patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), a rare form of epilepsy in which patients have frequent seizures of multiple types.

11 Nov 2009

State News: State budgets and Medicaid continue to draw headlines

The Associated Press/The Houston Chronicle reports that Texas lawmakers will add $5 million to expand mental health services — specifically veteran-to-veteran peer support groups — in the state. "Gov. Rick Perry on Monday announced the plan that calls for directing money from the state Health and Human Services Commission budget toward mental health treatment programs for veterans and their families" (11/9).

10 Nov 2009

No protection for 90% of Africans from secondhand smoke

As African nations are poised to undergo the highest increase in the rate of tobacco use among developing countries, nearly 90 percent of people on the continent remain without meaningful protection from secondhand smoke, according to a new report released at a regional cancer conference today.

10 Nov 2009

NIH $1 million Challenge Grant to refine cell-tracking nanotube technology

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded researchers at Rice University and the Texas Heart® Institute (THI) a $1 million Challenge Grant to refine cell-tracking nanotube technology that could make magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) up to 40 times more sensitive than existing MRIs and help guide adult stem cells within the human body to repair damaged hearts.

10 Nov 2009

Bristol-Myers Squibb and Alder Biopharmaceuticals collaborate in development of novel biologic for rheumatoid arthritis

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Alder Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced a global agreement for the development and commercialization of ALD518, a novel biologic that has completed Phase IIa development for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

10 Nov 2009

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment ineffective for children with autism

Research conducted by the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc. (CARD), shines new light on the effects of a popular form of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) treatment for children with autism and related disorders. The "Randomized Trial of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Children with Autism" study reveals that HBOT, consisting of 24% oxygen delivered at 1.3 atmospheres of pressure, does not have a significant effect on symptoms of autism.

10 Nov 2009

National Pain Summit calls for better pain care in America

Pain medicine physicians from the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) continued to advance the call for better pain care as they joined with physician leaders from across the country in a closed-door National Pain Summit that took place adjacent to an AMA meeting last week in Houston, Texas.

10 Nov 2009

Health care reform should benefit shift workers: Circadian Age

Circadian Age, Inc. – ‘Working Nights’ – a company dedicated to helping shift workers and their families adjust to their unique lifestyles, is concerned with making sure that any health care reform will benefit the 25 million Americans working shifts. These workers represent 10% of the insured population, but incur 17% of the health care costs.

10 Nov 2009

Tufts University researchers identify strategies to improve community-based participatory research partnerships

Researchers from Tufts University and their community-based colleagues have identified several strategies to improve community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnerships.

10 Nov 2009

New school meal program can cause more harm than good, says nutrition experts

In attempts to improve the nutritional quality of school meals, there have been several strides forward - including the removal of soft drinks and other less nutritious menu options. However, some schools and activist groups are calling for a new change that many health professionals agree could cause more harm than good when it comes to children's health: removing chocolate milk from the lunch line.

10 Nov 2009

Study: Patients with difficult to treat hepatitis C are half as likely to initiate treatment

A new study by Mount Sinai researchers has for the first time found that patients with more difficult to treat forms of hepatitis C are half as likely to initiate treatment for the disease, when compared to patients with hepatitis C that is easier to treat. Marital status also affected whether patients chose treatment, as did whether or not they had other diseases.

10 Nov 2009

Baxter International lauds new Medicare education benefit for chronic kidney disease patients

Baxter International Inc. commends the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on announcing implementation plans for a new Medicare benefit that will provide Stage 4 chronic kidney disease patients with coverage for up to six sessions explaining their treatment options, such as transplantation, home peritoneal dialysis (PD), home hemodialysis (HHD) or clinic-based hemodialysis (HD).

From Baxter International Inc. 10 Nov 2009

Researcers identify a new array of genes in GAS

Group A streptococcus (GAS) is a human pathogenic bacteria. Many people carry GAS asymptomatically in their upper respiratory tract and other anatomic sites. However, these bacteria can cause a variety of human diseases ranging from superficial skin and throat infections to highly invasive life-threatening diseases such as toxic shock and necrotizing fasciitis, commonly known as the flesh-eating bacteria.

10 Nov 2009

NATC sponsored national quit smoking program to launch second phase of campaign

With the latest research estimating that nearly six million people worldwide will lose their lives to tobacco next year, an innovative approach is critical to helping the 43 million Americans who smoke to finally quit. This month, which is observed as Lung Cancer Awareness Month, the national quit smoking program, EX(R) will debut the second phase of advertising and promotions designed to help smokers "re-learn" life without cigarettes.

10 Nov 2009